While I'm currently on "sabbatical", having achieved "burnout" with Aces High,
I have discovered, albeit several years late, the grandest wargame I have
ever played on a PC in twenty years. It is (and I though I'd -never- say this)
even more fun than the "Combat Mission" series from Battlefront)
The game is called "Empire: Total War" and concerns itself with an era
I had previously had no interest in; the 18th and 18th century.
Featuring both a strategic and tactical aspect, the game is absolutely
fascinating and has me entirely immersed in it.
I've not been so fired by a wargame in ten years. Years back, when I
first got into wargaming on the computer, I had the distinct pleasure of
meeting 3 of the coolest guys you'll ever meet; Soup, who'll many of you
know as "4510" in Aces High (his old AW handle/number) whom I affectionately
refer to til this day as "The Sergeant Major"; "Sturmer" Smith a hilariously
maniacal Army, and "JD" Dunn, who is by far the most intelligent individual
I have ever known. Three great guys who all schooled me in the fine art
of wargaming on the computer. Though a "wargamer lite" by any standard,
I have nonetheless thoroughly immersed myself in the genre over two
decades.
Anyway, one of the guys posted up a magnificent tale of "Gunther Schreck"
years back, the precise details of which escape me, but which concerned
itself with the exploits of Gunther during WW2.
Never one for shying away from bastardizing a good tale, I present for
your amusement a tale of the original Gunther of the 1700s when
Gunther served The Emperor Of The Holy Roman Empire, King Leopold
of Austria:
While the exact date of his birth remains unknown,
Gunther Schreck was born to bourgeois parents in
the town of Innsbruck, Austria in the year 1692.
Locally schooled, he was admired by his peers
and remembered as excelling in everything except
his classes.
In 1707 at the age of 15, he kissed his mother
goodbye, shook his father's hand and walked
his way to Vienna, a trip of 8 days which encompassed
approximately 240 miles.
It was in Vienna that his illustrious military service
in the ranks of the Austrian Army began; first with the
2nd Austrian Guards Regiment. In the latter stages of
his career he served also with the cavalry and artillery
arms.
After several weeks of training, Gunther was unfortunately
deemed unsuitable as a line infantry soldier given his
relatively small stature and assigned as a Trommelschlager
or drummer with the 2nd Guards Regiment.
At the time, Austria had been at war with the Ottoman
Empire for almost two decades. King Leopold, having been
elected as Emperor Of The Holy Roman Empire saw it as
his duty not only to stop the seemingly endless advances
of the Muslim faithful into Europe, but to push them
back to Persia and North Africa.
At Zagreb, Croatia Gunther participated in his first
action. Beating a steady cadence on his drum, Gunther
marched in the center and directly at the front, alongside
the regimental colors as the 2nd Guards advanced
directly into a line of Ottoman mamelukes thrice their
number.
Facing a wall of musket balls amidst the bellowing
of his officers and the screaming of the men alongside
and behind him, Gunther continued his march forward.
The forward ranked infantry began falling in heavy
numbers, their ranks then filled by soldiers of the
2nd and third ranks. Men tripped and stepped around
and on top of those men who had fallen before them.
The line began to waver and soon had been attrited
to the point where men routed and broke to the rear.
Gunther, at the fore and not aware this was the case
continued on. He turned to his immediate left to
comment to his fellow drummer Johan that it was
indeed a grand battle and saw him not. For that
matter, he saw nothing to his left. He turned
right and again; nothing. He was one man, a boy
in fact, and alone facing over 100 muslim infantry.
As he pondered that thought a mere 40 yards from
the Ottoman line, a musket ball tore into his
shoulder and took him down.
It is here that conflicting accounts are told.
Some men say that the Mamelukes, seeing a regiment
of Austrian cavalry broke ranks and fell back, leaving
Gunther on the ground; while other tell of two
Mamelukes walking out to Gunther, picking him up
and returning him to the Austrians under a white
flag of truce.
Regardless of the ending, Gunther survived but
lost his right arm.
After months of recuperation in Vienna and the
prospect of a droll civilian life before him, Gunther
pleaded to the military authorities and was allowed
to continue in service and transferred to the
newly formed 1st Marine Division led by Prinz Eugen
von Savoyen. Having heard of the ill-fated charge
of the 2nd Guards against the Mamelukes and
Gunther's part in it, Prinz Eugen immediately
promoted him to sergeant where sabre-equipped,
which required only one arm, he would lead a
platoon of infantry.
...........
